Slept for an hour with the machine not running...

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cathyf
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Slept for an hour with the machine not running...

Post by cathyf » Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:04 am

Friday night I got up at 1am to go to the bathroom, and when I put the hose back on the mask I must have hit the button twice which means that I turned the machine on and them immediately back off. I woke up an hour later because I realized that there was no air blowing in the mask.

1) The A10 has an array of three buttons: a rectangular button with the word "START" printed on it, a round button with the power symbol on it, and another rectangular button with the word "STOP" printed on it. From what I can tell all three buttons do exactly the same thing -- they are toggle buttons which turn the AutoSet functions on if they're off and off if they're on.

2) After you stop the machine, the blower stays on low for a period of time to dry out the hose. I'm relatively insensitive to the pressure, and often have trouble figuring out if the blower is on, and half-asleep in the middle of the night I can't tell the difference between the drying-out flow and the machine taking itself up to 7, which is my minimum pressure.

3) I can't wear glasses with the mask on, and don't wear them while asleep anyway, and without my glasses I can't tell the difference between the display with the time and the compliance/leak happy faces and the display with the climbing pressure and the circle around it. By the time I lie down and my face is close enough to the machine to see with the magnifying glass I bought to keep next to the machine, the display has turned off.

I've been designing computer interfaces for 30 years as a software developer, and I'm not terribly impressed. It's good, but an interface designed to be worked by people who are half asleep has to be spectacularly good, and it's not that.

JDS74
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Re: Slept for an hour with the machine not running...

Post by JDS74 » Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:15 am

I suspect that you have the autostart function turned off.
I agree that the user interface could be improved - just one button that controls on and off and it should be huge compared to other buttons. A pretty looking layout may satisfy the esthetics of designers but fails the usability test for a half-asleep patient.

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Pugsy
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Re: Slept for an hour with the machine not running...

Post by Pugsy » Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:34 am

Turn the SmartStart feature on...then the machine will come on automatically when it senses your breathing on the other end.
Page 17 of the clinical manual I have.
No need to push any buttons for on or off...when you remove the mask it will turn itself off after a very brief period of time if you don't click on the off button.

I use the SmartStart on part of it all the time...put mask on and take a couple breaths and it comes on.
I do normally push the off button to turn it off...just habit mainly as it is easy to reach and I don't even need to see it on my S9.

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cathyf
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Re: Slept for an hour with the machine not running...

Post by cathyf » Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:36 am

JDS74 wrote:I suspect that you have the autostart function turned off.
What's the autostart function? Someone on the forum made a passing reference to autostart a few days ago, and I went back to the manual to try to find it then (the manual is at home, and I'm at work right now). I could find no reference to it or any obvious way to configure it...

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Pugsy
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Re: Slept for an hour with the machine not running...

Post by Pugsy » Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:41 am

ResMed calls it SmartStart and not AutoStart.
It's explained in the clinical manual...do you have that manual? If not I can get it to you...send me a PM with your private email address or request it at the apneaboard source.

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archangle
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Re: Slept for an hour with the machine not running...

Post by archangle » Mon Oct 20, 2014 10:05 am

If you want to check if the machine is on, put your hand in the airstream coming out of the exhaust vent on the mask.

You didn't notice the machine being off as much because of your full face mask, and you got fresh air through the anti-asphyxia vent. If you had a nasal mask, you'd be rebreathing more stale air.

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cathyf
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Re: Slept for an hour with the machine not running...

Post by cathyf » Mon Oct 20, 2014 10:17 am

archangle wrote:If you want to check if the machine is on, put your hand in the airstream coming out of the exhaust vent on the mask.

You didn't notice the machine being off as much because of your full face mask, and you got fresh air through the anti-asphyxia vent. If you had a nasal mask, you'd be rebreathing more stale air.
Yes -- I am apparently pretty insensitive to the air flow, as I have had multiple instances of doing the is this thing really on? panic where I find the magnifying glass and turn the knob on the machine to check the pressure. And find it at 10 or 11 or 12! The last couple of days I have felt in front of the mask and there is a strong air flow but I'm not feeling anything on my face.

Being smart enough to run the machine is a lot more challenging when asleep!

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Re: Slept for an hour with the machine not running...

Post by Cdurost » Mon Oct 20, 2014 1:52 pm

To turn on SmartStart on the A10, press the Home button to light up the screen, then turn the large round knob to select My Options. You will know it is selected because it will be lit in blue. Turn the large round knob to scroll through all the options, one of which is SmartStart. Once it is highlighted in blue, press the large round button to select it. You will then be given options On and Off to choose from. Select On. Press the the large round knob again and you're done. Now the machine will come on and go off automatically, as others noted.

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cathyf
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Re: Slept for an hour with the machine not running...

Post by cathyf » Mon Oct 20, 2014 8:44 pm

Thanks to Pugsy who emailed me the manual, I got AutoStart turned on. Works much better!

I also discovered that I can put the mask on over my glasses, glance at the screen, and then take the glasses off. Much easier than messing around with the magnifying glass.

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archangle
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Re: Slept for an hour with the machine not running...

Post by archangle » Tue Oct 21, 2014 10:35 am

cathyf wrote:Yes -- I am apparently pretty insensitive to the air flow, as I have had multiple instances of doing the is this thing really on? panic where I find the magnifying glass and turn the knob on the machine to check the pressure. And find it at 10 or 11 or 12! The last couple of days I have felt in front of the mask and there is a strong air flow but I'm not feeling anything on my face.
Lifting up the edge of your mask also works.

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Please enter your equipment in your profile so we can help you.
Click here for information on the most common alternative to CPAP.
If it's midnight and a DME tells you it's dark outside, go and check for yourself.

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